Booze-free Stampede: Local businesses, performers offer non-alcoholic focus

The Calgary Stampede is now underway and many events over the next 10 days could be described as a real party! But many are choosing to enjoy it sober.

Although many events on and off the Calgary Stampede grounds coincide with drinking alcohol, some local businesses and entrepreneurs say the non-alcoholic category is rising.

Lana Rogers says she’ll be having a sober Stampede, continuing her recent year and a half off from drinking alcohol.

“I love Stampede because I get to connect with so many people. I don’t need drinks during Stampede,” she said.

The entrepreneur founded Champagne Friday, a social club and brand focused on sparkling wines, but now she prefers anything zero-proof.

Her strategy for the upcoming 10-day festival is having a fellow sober companion for solidarity when turning down drinks.

Rogers adds that going sober is easier now given the wide array of non-alcoholic or low-alcohol-by-volume drinks.

“There are so many amazing non-alcoholic options. If I did this 20 years ago, I might not be able to do it, because I would just be drinking Coca-Cola,” she said.

Jayme Minor is a musician and motivational speaker who is also encouraging Calgary families to Saddle Up Sober at an event he’s hosting at Ranchman’s.

“My message is sober is fun. And mental health is cool,” said Minor.

He is open about his struggles and overcoming them in his performances.

“I was addicted to alcohol and drugs, and Stampede was a horrible week for me,” he said before adding, “You can Stampede, you can have fun and we don’t need alcohol.”

His all-ages event runs from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 12.

Moderation on the rise

Whether a consumer is completely dry or is simply curious about cutting back, many Calgary businesses are taking advantage of a growing market.

Although Annex Ales has been making sodas like root beer since 2015, this year, one-third of all sales by volume are comprised of sodas.

“Many of our consumers are transitioning between sometimes drinking and sometimes not. It’s more of a situational kind of thing for most customers,” said Andrew Bullied, co-founder of Annex Ales.

Village Brewery now sells four varieties of non-alcoholic beers to mimic the craft beer flavour.

“It’s grown every year since we’ve launched them (back in 2019.) It’s our fastest-growing product line by far, so that tells us where the consumers are at,” said Jackson Stewart, director of marketing for Village Brewery.

He doesn’t expect the trend will slow down.

“I think we are going to see this stick around. I think we are going to see more styles, more exploration (and) different categories emerge out of this non-alcoholic trend.”

Alcohol sales down

A 2024 report from market insight company NIQ found that 75 per cent of non-alcoholic beverage purchases also included alcohol-containing beverages, suggesting consumers of zero-proof drinks don’t have a black-and-white stance on booze.

That same year, Statistics Canada released data suggesting Gen Z, people aged 27 and younger, are drinking less overall.

IWSR, an international data collection group dedicated to beverage alcohol consumer trends, says that appears to be changing.

“They were late to the party—they are not skipping the party entirely,” said Marten Lodewijks, president for IWSR Americas.

The share of adults of legal drinking age up to age 27 is 73 per cent, behind the overall share of adults at 78 per cent, who reported drinking alcohol within the last six months.

Lodewijks says this number has grown since late 2024.

“Everyone is drinking less—it’s not a Gen Z-specific phenomenon. Older consumers are also drinking less, and there’s lots of reasons for that.”

He says alcohol sales across the globe are down in the past two years, as consumers increasingly focus on health and wellness but are also impacted by the rising cost of living crisis in many regions.